Eight Swimmers Make College Division List of Capital One Academic All-Americans

YOUNG HARRIS, Georgia, June 5. EIGHT swimmers represent their schools on the recently released list of student-athletes on the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America College Division men’s and women’s at-large teams, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Four of the swimmers were named to the Academic All-America first team, while the remaining four are listed as second-team All-Americans. The college division encompasses all postsecondary schools not a part of the NCAA system in the United States and Canada.

The list of eight swimmers on the college division Academic All-America list is below, followed by the official press release from the College Sports Information Directors of America.

First team
Aaron Buchanan (Olivet Nazarene)
Josh Karel (Morningside)
Bogdan Knezevic (Calgary)
Hannah Hecht (Morningside)

Second team
Sydney Harris (Olivet Nazarene)
Heather MacLean (British Columbia)
Tianna Rissling (Calgary)
Christine Tixier (Biola)

Senior Bogdan Knezevic, a swimmer from the University of Calgary, and senior Kristina Marova, a tennis player for Embry-Riddle (Fla.) University headline the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America College Division Men’s and Women’s At-Large Teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The Capital One College Division Academic All-America men’s and women’s at-large teams are comprised of student-athletes from NAIA, Canadian and two-year institutions.

The at-large program for the Capital One Academic All-America program includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo for both men and women; bowling, crew and field hockey for women; and volleyball and wrestling for men.

A native of Toronto, Ontario, Knezevic has consistently excelled in athletics and academics throughout his career as a Dino. The neuroscience student boasts a 4.00 G.P.A., earning him a place on the Dean’s list. In addition, Knezevic has been named an Academic All-Canadian each year.

In the pool this year, Knezevic won a CIS gold medal in the 200-meter individual medley and a CIS silver in the 400 medley relay. He also won a gold in the 800 free relay, a silver in the 400 medley relay and a bronze in the 200 breaststroke at the Canada West Conference Championship.

A business administration major with a 3.87 grade point average, Marova was the top-ranked doubles player in the nation for Embry-Riddle and led the Eagles to an 18-6 record and a berth in the NAIA national championship match. She posted a 17-11 singles record while compiling an impressive mark of 26-7 in doubles matches. In addition, she is a two-time NAIA All-American selection who received second-team recognition this season.

A three-time academic all-conference pick for the Eagles, the Stare Sediste, Czech Republic, native earned Capital One Academic All-America honors for the third straight year, including her second consecutive first- team selection. She was also a third-team honoree as a sophomore in 2012.

Joining Knezevic on the men’s first team are: John Bertram of Westmont College, Patrick Besch of Embry-Riddle, Aaron Buchanan of Olivet Nazarene University, Simon Felix of Embry-Riddle, Zeke Hunt of Cumberland University, Josh Karel of Morningside College, Nicholas Pinones-Haltenhoff of Auburn University Montgomery, Julian Taylor of William Woods University, and Deni Zmak of Embry-Riddle.

A chemical physics major with a 3.89 G.P.A, Bertram posted a 13-8 singles record this season for the Westmont tennis team. The Melbourne, Australia, native also recorded a doubles mark of 16-3. Bertram was named the 2014 Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was twice named the Westmont College Golden Eagle Scholar-Athlete, winning the award in 2012 and 2014. Bertram also placed in the 100th percentile for the American Chemical Society Physical Chemical exam.

A senior from Mainz, Germany, Besch owns a 3.73 G.P.A. in business administration. Besch, a tennis player, went 15-5 on the season in singles play and 19-3 in doubles. He was named to the All-Sun Conference second team and was an academic all-conference selection.

Buchanan, a senior swimmer from Beavercreek, Ohio, recorded a 3.60 G.P.A. while majoring in psychology. A 2013 Capital One Academic All-America second-team selection, Buchanan won the NAIA national championship in the 200 butterfly and was the national runner-up in the 200 individual medley. In all, he earned NAIA All-American honors in three events for Olivet Nazarene.

An air traffic management major with a 3.85 G.P.A., Felix is a senior from Geneva, Switzerland. He was named to the all-conference men’s tennis first team for the fourth time in his career after going undefeated at 5-0 in league play and is 24-3 in singles play on the year for Embry-Riddle. He also went 33-5 in double play. Felix was one half of the 2013 national doubles championship team.

A senior wrestler from Dacula, Georgia, Hunt carries a 3.78 G.P.A. in engineering science. A NAIA All-American, he placed sixth individually at the national tournament for Cumberland. A Mid-South Conference Scholar-Athlete, he posted a 25-9 record with six winnings over ranked opponents. As a junior, Hunt finished eighth at nationals to earn NAIA All-American honors.

Karel is a junior swimmer from Lincoln, Nebraska, and boasts a 3.99 G.P.A. in Spanish teaching. He is the Morningside school record holder in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:15.55 and is a member of the school-record 400 medley relay team. A 2014 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, Karel made the of the 2013 Capital One Academic All-America second-team squad.

A junior from Barcelona, Spain, Pinones-Haltenhoff sports a 4.00 G.P.A. while majoring in biology. A tennis player, he recorded a 22-2 singles record this season, playing the top position for Auburn Montgomery. Pinones-Haltenhoff also went 19-3 in doubles action. Last year as a sophomore, he was selected the Capital One Academic All-America of the Year and was named to the Capital One Academic All-America first team.

Hailing from York, England, Taylor is a junior mathematics major and owns a 3.64 G.P.A. A member of the William Woods golf team, he recorded six wins and posted an average score of 71.55 in 22 rounds played, placing him fifth in the NAIA. The American Midwest Conference Player of the Year, he tied for 12th place at the NAIA National Championship to earn him a spot on the NAIA All-Tournament Team.

Zmak, a senior tennis player from Pula, Croatia, holds a 3.45 G.P.A. while majoring in software engineering. He notched a singles record of 32-4 for Embry-Riddle and went 33-5 in doubles play. A two-time The Sun Player of the Year, Zmak was the 2013 National Champion & ITA Super Bowl I Champion in singles and doubles.

The 10 members of the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America College Division At-Large men’s first team have an average G.P.A. of 3.79.

Joining Marova on the Capital One Academic All-America women’s at-large first team are Lauren Allard and Kendall Guthrie of Indiana Institute of Technology, Geandra Almeida of Bethel (Ind.) College, Jade Curtis of Auburn Montgomery, Hannah Hecht and Cameron Oakley of Morningside, Kamie Rash of Kansas Wesleyan University, Andreya Teuber of Davenport University, and Emma Wynja of Northwestern (Iowa) College.

Marova is one of two tennis players represented on the first team. In addition, there are four golfers selected to the first team along with two lacrosse players. Swimming and bowling each had one representative on the first team.

Led by Marova, there are four repeat selections from 2013. Curtis, Marova and Oakley were named to the first team last year while Wynja was a second team selection.

An energy engineering major with a 3.94 G.P.A., Allard was the fourth-leading scorer for Indiana Tech as a junior after scoring 28 goals with 18 assists. She also contributed 66 ground balls and 60 draw controls while guiding the Warriors to a 12-6 record. A second team National Women’s Lacrosse League All-America selection, the Plymouth, Michigan, native has been a two-time honorable mention selection on the All-Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference team.

Meanwhile, Guthrie was the Warriors’ leading scorer as a senior with 82 goals and 103 points while compiling a 3.76 G.P.A. in accounting. The Lake Oswego, Oregon, native is a two-time selection as the NWLL Player of the Year and also led the Warriors with 100 ground balls, 84 draw controls and 30 caused turnovers. Honored as the WHAC Offensive Player of the Year twice, she is a three-time selection to the NWLL All-America first team.

A business administration major with a perfect 4.00 G.P.A., Almeida led Bethel to an 11th-place team finish at the NAIA National Championship. Honored as the 2013 and 2014 Crossroads League Women’s Golfer of the Year, the Joinville, Brazil, native earned medalist honors at three tournaments and earned a share of 11th place at the NAIA Championship as a senior. She posted a 78.05 scoring average during the spring season and is a three-time NAIA All-America honorable mention selection.

A communications major with a 3.76 G.P.A., Curtis led Auburn Montgomery to the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Championship in women’s tennis. The top player for the Warhawks, the Saltash, England, native posted a 21-3 record at number one singles while compiling a 21-5 mark in doubles matches. A three-time selection to the NAIA All-America first team, Curtis was named as the Southern States Athletic Conference Female Athlete of the Year as a junior and earned NAIA Scholar Athlete recognition this year. Over a three-year span, Curtis won 72 consecutive singles dual matches.

An English major with a 3.97 G.P.A., Hecht was a national qualifier in the 100 and 200 backstroke and 200 individual medley events at the NAIA National Championship in swimming. A native of Lansing, Kansas, she earned Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete notice and is a member of the Mustangs’ school-record 200 medley relay team. Hecht, who serves as vice president of the Sigma Tau Delta English honor society, has been a Dean’s Honor List member in each of her first five semesters.

Meanwhile, Oakley is a double major in political science and English with a perfect 4.00 G.P.A. As a senior on the women’s golf team, the Sioux City, Iowa, native posted a 91.1 scoring average in 11 tournaments. A three-time selection to the Capital One Academic All-America women’s at-large team, she earned second-team notice as a sophomore before being named to the first team last year. A four-time All-Great Plains Athletic Conference selection, Oakley has made the Morningside Dean’s Honor List in each of her first seven semesters and received the school’s Outstanding English Major Award and James Miller Award for Political Science as a junior.

An exercise science major with a concentration in corporate fitness, Rash has compiled a 3.93 G.P.A. while winning 8 of 11 golf tournaments as a senior at Kansas Wesleyan. The Syracuse, Kansas, native posted a scoring average of 79.95 and won the Nebraska-Kearney Tournament during the fall season. She earned Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete notice and graduated earlier this month with magna cum laude honors.

A health services administration major with a perfect 4.00 G.P.A., Teuber led the Davenport women’s bowling team with a 194.5 scoring average and earned second team All-NAIA Coaches Association honors. The Swartz Creek, Michigan, product earned WHAC Bowler of the Year honors twice and helped the Panthers win back-to-back regular season and tournament championships.

After earning second team Capital One Academic All-America notice as a sophomore last year, Wynja received a spot on the first team with a 4.00 G.P.A. while majoring in biology and chemistry. The Sioux Falls, North Dakota, native is a three-time first team selection on the All-GPAC team after carding an 84.2 scoring average this year. She earned a top-five finish in three tournaments and posted a top-10 effort in eight tournaments. Wynja, who boasts a school-record 84.1 career scoring average, went on a summer service project to Ghana with the Luke Society.

The 10 members of the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America College Division At-Large women’s first team have an average G.P.A. of 3.92.

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